Thursday is soup day, you know. So here’s the recipe for the soup we had last night. It is downright delicious, and very spicy – more perfect for winter weather than for last night’s weird almost-70, but it was eaten up om nom nom in any case =)

I got the recipe from a woman who worked at a residential program for teenage girls, so be forewarned, it makes quite a bit. Which is to say, it’s a good soup to invite company over for. As the household here at #208 is a growing thing, it’s lovely to have the neighbours up, but still there are lots of leftovers. I like to freeze it after the first serving, and then when I defrost it,  I brown another pound of sausage, as there is generally almost no sausage left from the first serving.

Nicole’s Sausage and Artichoke Soup – serves a small army*

Do you know? It's a thistle!

3# hot Italian sausage
2 small onions, chopped finely
2Tbsp jarred diced garlic
1 1/2tsp oregano
1 1/2tsp basil
2Tbsp parsley
1Tbsp crushed red pepper
2Tbsp beef bullion
1 package of dry onion soup
3 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
4 8.5-oz cans quartered artichokes
2 32-oz boxes chicken broth
2c water
1# pasta

1. Break the sausages into bite sized pieces, or roll into small meatballs. Brown in a skillet with garlic and onion. Drain grease.

2. Put drained sausages into the biggest pot you own. Add all other ingredients except pasta. Bring to a simmer.

3. This part is tricky. If you’re me, you’ll fear that the biggest pot you own won’t actually accommodate the whole shebang, so you’ll need to boil the pasta in a separate pot, while simmering the soup. Then you can combine the past and the soup upon serving. What the recipe calls for is to add the pasta directly to the soup, and simmer until the pasta is done. When the pasta is done, the soup is done.

*I’m not joking, even a little bit. Use the biggest pot you have.